Its getting hot in here

Its getting hot in here
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On this webpage you will find out about:
the climate of hot deserts
the soil of hot deserts
the vegetation and how it is adapted its environment
Video on the desert biome – no narration –
http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips/images-of-a-hot-desert-biome-no-narration/3206.html

The climate
Daytime temperatures can get up to over 40 degrees in the summer. But it can get very cold at night (below freezing), because there’s no cloud to keep the heat in. There is a big daily temperature range
It has less than 250mm of rain a year. It might not rain for months or years. When it does it is often in the form of a torrential downpour
There are two seasons – summer, when the sun is high in the sky and its very hot and winter when, although it’s very warm compared to the UK, it’s cooler than the desert summer
Soils

Desert soils are rocky, sandy and grey in colour
They are thin, and can have a crus caused but the impact of the infrequent heavy rainfall
Evaporation draws water up through the soil, leaving salts deposited near the surface
The soil is dry, but it can soak up water quickly when it rains
Vegetation in hot deserts
The vegetation has adapted to survive in the harsh desert climate – below is a diagram showing the stratification of the desert vegetation:
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Desert yellow daisy
Desert yellow daisy – small linear leaves that are hairy and slightly succulent. Seeds are dropped at the end of the dry season on the surface of the soil. When
it rains the seed germinate to grow new plants.
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Giant Saguaro Cactus
Giant saguaro cactus – roots very close to the surface so that it can soak up water before it evaporates. Outside skin is pleated so that it can expand when
water is soaked up. Grows very slowly.
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Joshua tree
Needle-like leaves coated with waxy resin to prevent evapotranspiration
Great basin sagebrush – tap roots up to 25m long and small needle-like leaves to
reduce water loss